Studies have linked mouth infections and many other illnesses to the use of unsanitary toothbrushes. Furthermore, studies have indicated that germs carried on toothbrushes may extend the length of illnesses.
Specifically, studies have found germs on toothbrushes which are common in cases of pneumonia, stomach ulcers, strep throat, sinus disease, upset stomach and diarrhea. Individuals who have one of the above ailments may have a heavy germ build-up on their toothbrushes within twenty-four hours of first use of a new toothbrush. Even healthy individuals may have heavy germ build-up on their toothbrushes within thirty five days of use. Such germs may come from the user's own mouth and/or from the environment in which the toothbrush is kept between uses. Most toothbrushes are kept in bathrooms, which are often fertile environments for germs.
Moreover, a recent study revealed that 40% of all new, unused toothbrushes were germ-laden when removed from their packaging. No federal regulations or standards require sterilization or sanitization of toothbrushes before packaging and sale to customers.
Accordingly, there is obviously a need for a device that effectively sanitizes toothbrushes before and between uses by consumers.
There are many prior devices for sterilizing toothbrushes designed for home use. The most common method of sterilizing toothrushes employed by these devices is use of common radiant energy such as ultra-violet light to kill germs on the toothbrushes. These prior sanitizing devices include an outer housing, an ultra-violet light source located within the housing and structure within the housing to position the bristles of the brushes adjacent the light source. Proper use of these prior units may reduce the quantity of harmful bacteria found on toothbrushes.
However, these prior art devices have numerous disadvantages. Many of these prior sanitizing devices have many parts and are expensive to manufacture. In addition, many of these prior art devices are not easy to clean thoroughly and thus the sanitizing devices become a source of bacterial growth. Also, many of the prior art devices operate continuously and thus require constant replacing of the ultra-violet light bulbs. Further, some of the prior devices must be manually switched on and off, thus running the risk that toothbrushes placed therein may not be properly sterilized before the next use. Furthermore, many of the prior devices may be accidentally triggered or turned on, thus unnecessarily exposing persons to ultra-violet light. Moreover, in the prior devices having a fully enclosed housing, it may be impossible to determine if the light source is properly operating as the devices do not have an "on" indicator.
Examples of such prior toothbrush sterilizers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,280,431 issued on Apr. 21, 1942 to Hart; U.S. Pat. No. 2,424,036 issued on July 15, 1947 to Jackel; U.S. Pat. No. 2,579,242 issued on Dec. 18, 1951 to Pask; U.S. Pat. No. 2,592,131 issued on Apr. 8, 1952 to Farrar; U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,842 issued on Aug. 13, 1963 to Tellefsen; U.S. Pat. No. 3,309,159 issued on Mar. 14, 1967 to Lesueur et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,905 issued on Nov. 21, 1967 to Ellis; U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,094 issued on July 24, 1973 to Scheidell; U.S. Patent No. 3,820,251 issued on June 28, 1974 to Abernathy; U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,868 issued on May 6, 1975 to Duke; U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,407 issued on May 4, 1976 to Andary et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,922 issued on May 11, 1976 to Moulthrop; U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,445 issued on May 9, 1978 to Ellis; U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,119 issued on Nov. 25, 1986 to Murdock, III; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,706 issued on Apr. 26, 1988 to Murdock, III; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,364 issued on Feb. 7, 1989 to Ritter.
Other prior radiant energy devices which are designed to sterilize items other than toothbrushes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,554,156 issued on May 22, 1951 to Rosenthal and U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,206 issued on Oct. 6, 1987 to Nevin.
Further, a prior toothbrush and glass holder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,336,224 issued on Dec. 7, 1943 to Cohen.
In view of the above, it is apparent that there exists a need for a toothbrush sanitizing device that can be thoroughly cleaned, minimizes the risk of accidental activation of the light source while the light source is exposed, and automatically sterilizes toothbrushes contained within the unit. This invention addresses these needs in the art, along with other needs which will become apparent to those skilled in the art once given this disclosure.